


one man betrayed with a kiss

by nosecoffee



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Aaron Burr: as both the Hamilton's mistresses, Accusations, Affairs, Alexander Hamilton: as awful and clueless as always, Angst, Canon Era, Elizabeth Schuyler: a literal angel, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Pining, Sexual Themes, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 22:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9145192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosecoffee/pseuds/nosecoffee
Summary: Alexander crashed on the floor until five in the morning where he beckoned Aaron to the floor with whispers of a secret he was willing to tell.There was no secret, just clumsy lips against his.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' by U2

It doesn't even matter. The first time they're too drunk. Mulligan and Lafayette and Laurens were hanging off the table by the end and it only made sense to Aaron that he should walk Alexander home - wherever that was.

They ended up across town from where Alexander was supposed to be, but closer to Aaron's place.

Alexander tugged him down the street, explaining in a cracking voice that he'd crash on the floor of that was okay with Aaron.

It felt like his mouth was glued shut, like he didn't have a choice.

He found that that was okay.

Alexander crashed on the floor until five in the morning where he beckoned Aaron to the floor with whispers of a secret he was willing to tell.

There was no secret, just clumsy lips against his.

Aaron sunk into it because it felt like the best course of action and who could blame him for being enamoured with Alexander Hamilton?

~

By the time they've both consecutively joined the war, they're still falling into the same routine.

But the routine dies because who the fuck lets their soldiers get piss ass drunk every night?

No one in their right fucking mind, that's for sure.

And General Washington could be no further into his right fucking mind.

Aaron shows up, with full intention to find a way to get closer to Alexander and Mulligan and their little team, and ends up being sent away, with Alexander looking back at him, a sad look on his face.

Of course, that's not what does it, really, but a few weeks later, with all the teachers petting that's going on, and the pleased look on Alexander's face when he's obviously given in a good report, makes Aaron want to explode. It's too much.

They say that jealousy is a young man's game and who can blame Aaron when he sees the strange look in the General's eyes when he looks at Alexander? He can have his pick of the crowd and he picks him?

Alexander would be delighted at the thought.

Aaron is not, however, he cannot sit idly by and watch it all play out.

Alexander's intrigues are his own and none of Aaron's concerns.

At least, he tells himself that as he marches out of camp, resolutely, a bag slung over his shoulder.

~

The Alexander he hears about at his next camp seems much to big to fit in his own shoes.

Rumours float around, gossip goes in one ear and out the other, and Aaron does his best to ignore it.

Who cares if General Washington and Alexander Hamilton are as close as father and son?

("Father figures are a fucking joke," Alexander had said once, piss drunk, of course, but with a serious face on. "Just have a fucking father or don't. I don't need a fucking replacement." They chorused 'here, here' and moved on, but Alexander's expression never shifted.)

Who cares if General Washington's wife named her feral tomcat after Alexander?

("It's not that I'm angry or anything," he'd whispered in the dead of night, somewhere between hung over and drunk, curled around Aaron. "But people who treat other people like a common pests are the types of people I don't want to know. Calling people pests. It's not fucking right, Aaron.")

Who cares if the ladies at the ball's he goes to delight and distract him?

("Can I tell you a secret?" And this wasn't too long ago. In Alexander's tent, before light out, before Laurens had gotten back from his third proposal. "Anything," Aaron had replied. "I'm scared. Scared of what may be should I decide to marry. How will I know that I'll be satisfied? What if I find that I'm unable to continue a line? There are so many questions that I'm too scared to try and answer.")

All these words seem to be thrown three sheets to the wind with everything he's hearing.

All these rumours don't sound like the Alexander he knew.

Or, perhaps, the Alexander he thought he knew.

~

It all comes to a head at the Schuyler ball in deep winter.

It's the first time that Aaron's seen Alexander since he left and the cocky set to his shoulders says a lot.

They discuss trivial matters until the conversation turns to women (Aaron notes the uncomfortable sir that floats around Laurens as he mentions it).

Alexander points out the Schuyler sisters, all done up in pretty floral silks, their hair done regally back from their faces.

Aaron tells him that any one of them would be worth their weight in gold, that any man who was lucky enough to win their favour was a lucky one, and a smirk situates itself on Alexander's lips.

He asks Aaron if he thought he'd back down to a challenge, and Aaron doesn't have the time to respond before Alexander's striding across the room and begins talking to Angelica Schuyler.

John's face tells him that he'd expected this for a while, and he grimaced as they watch the conversation begin, waiting for her to turn him away, or humiliate him.

But instead, she smiles, and takes his arm, leading him across the room to where a pretty girl in a blue dress stands.

And the look on Alexander's face says that he's lost on her.

John's face falls.

And Aaron understands.

He can't watch any longer.

~

He sees Angelica standing alone when the party is winding down and Alexander and Eliza are nowhere to be found.

"Your sister," he begins and she gives him a soft glance. "Is beautiful."

"Isn't she?" She replies, a sigh in her words.

"And Alexander..." He trails off, not knowing what to say.

"Better not hurt her." Angelica responds. But her expression is clear. As if she couldn't imagine such a thing ever happening.

"He won't," Aaron assures her. Alexander may be somewhat corrupt from attention and praise and rumours, but his heart is in the right place, unharmed from the vile things people keep to themselves. "Alexander would never."

She nods. "I do hope so."

~

By the time he receives a wedding invitation, written in Alexander's scrawling penmanship, he thinks he somehow expected it.

That's fine. Alexander's happy and confident in the woman he's chosen, and that's all Aaron could wish for him.

He hasn't a clue as to the rumours about Aaron's lady friend when Laurens mentions it, drunk off his ass, but he's intrigued enough to make the others leave so that he can speak to Aaron privately.

Aaron knows he can't hide Theodosia forever but the flicker of hurt in Alexander's eyes makes him confused.

How can he feel betrayed when there was nothing between them in the first place, Aaron wonders. And flinches at the thought because that's not true. How can he look betrayed when he just married someone else? When he's -

Alexander tells him that it doesn't matter that Theodosia's husband is fighting for the British, that if he loves her there is always a chance.

It's the best thing he's heard in ages.

~

Alexander's wrath towards Lee is fiery and it makes Aaron smile because he hasn't seen him get like this is years.

Maybe it's just the state of how the army is at this point, the middle of summer, 100 degree heat, but Aaron wants to see blood.

Except when they talk.

Aaron couldn't give a shit why they're fighting, but Alexander won't let up.

John shoots Lee and Lee falls, clutching his side. Aaron follows him down, beckoning the doctor over, and pulling up the soldier's shirt to reveal the wound.

John asks if Lee is yielding and Aaron, bloodlust satisfied, feels his sense return.

"You shot him in the side - YES he yields!" He replies and sees Alexander's furious face fade to a satisfied grin. Because he'd successfully protected Washington's honour.

Aaron can't take it.

He doesn't know exactly how much power he holds over Alexander being a superior soldier, but it has got to be enough to call him away.

"You're in love with him." Aaron says bluntly when there's no one to hear them. No one to see them. "Washington, I mean."

Alexander looks aghast. "That's nonsense! Aaron..."

Aaron shakes his head. "He told you to let it go, and still you persisted, why else would you do that if it weren't for love?"

"No, no. I love no one but my Eliza." Alexander replies. "I know what I said in the past, but Washington is the closest I have ever really come to family for a long time."

Aaron shook his head. "Either way, you still went too far. Whatever justice should be delivered to Lee for his words, this was too much."

Alexander narrows his eyes and cocks his head, searching Aaron's face for something. Surprise and hurt clouds his features. "You love Lee."

Aaron barks a laugh at that. "Love him? God, no. Lee is insufferable and an idiot, and I agree, his words were hurtful. To insinuate that I could ever be enamoured with such a person is too much."

"But why would you protect him if you thought this? It would explain-"

"I don't care what it explains, Alexander. Why on Earth would you ever say something like that?"

His expression shifts, conflicted, guilty, upset. "I thought it because I wanted a reason to be jealous."

"Jealous?" Aaron echoes, the word unfamiliar from Alexander's mouth. "What-?" And it hits him full force, like being thrown from a bucking horse.

His eyes widen fractionally and he knows Alexander sees it. Knows that he understands now.

Aaron opens his mouth to say something, anything, to clarify.

But at that time General Washington's voice calls out for Alexander and he goes pale.

His hand curls tight around Aaron's neck and he cocks his head to avoid a commotion when he brings their lips together. It lasts all of ten seconds before Alexander is running back towards the duelling ground.

~

Aaron doesn't see him after that.  
Rumour says he was sent home.

Laurens, who is under strict orders to avoid conflict, tells him that Alexander wrote.

Eliza's pregnant.

The food in Aaron's mouth turns to ash.

~

It doesn't make any difference, they've won. He sees Alexander in the crowd and pulls him away from a clamouring soldiers.

His face darkens for a second, and then he shakes Aaron's hand and is gone.

~

Aaron knows that Theodosia's always been open to the most peculiar things but the day he confesses to sodomy she laughs.

He asks her why and she says that she always knew he loved Hamilton. Who wouldn't?

That's her reasoning, at least.

Says it's none of her business and that if he should wish to continue with Hamilton, that was his choice.

She is quite peculiar, but it's one of the many reasons why he loves her.

~

"You have Eliza." He gasps. They'd had a particularly hard case that afternoon, and Aaron had found that this was the way Alexander liked to settle. He wasn't exactly complaining.

He still felt guilty.

"And you have Theodosia," Alexander murmurs into Aaron's bare hip. "Doesn't seem to be stopping you."

"I don't want to stop."

"Good."

It's not habit, just guilty pleasure. That's what Aaron's chalked it up to.

The accusations they'd flung at each other the day behind the tent, Lee lying in the red dust, seemed to have disappeared from their minds.

Aaron wouldn't even dare to think that anything vulgar could be happening between Washington and Alexander, and they hadn't seen Lee since the war ended.

Alexander tugs Aaron's breeches down as he mulls this over.

He's thinking too hard about why he shouldn't be doing this, he should be thinking about what's happening, shouldn't be thinking about his daughter, and Philip, and Theodosia, and Eliza, Eliza, Eliza, Eliza.

"Eliza." He breathes and immediately moans to cover it up because God forbid Alexander hear Aaron say his wife's name.

Aaron is horrified with himself. He didn't mean to say it.

He prays Alexander didn't hear, but there's a little grin on his face when he pulls away.

~

Aaron thinks that there's probably something wrong with him after that because he can't stop thinking about her.

He shouldn't.

He hardly knows her.

~

Aaron doesn't know when it stops being about Alexander. When his love for him fades to the background.

When he begins to fall for Alexander's wife, instead.

~

Aaron had met her a total of four times.

The first time near Princeton, a little after he'd met Alexander. He said something rude to her sister and she slapped him. Eliza had smiled over her shoulder at him as they walked away.

The second time was at the ball where Eliza and Alexander met. He'd danced with her smiling that amused, secretive smile at him before she sent him on his merry way and met Alexander.

The third time was at her wedding. He saw her only briefly in the rush of congratulations, but he pressed her hand and kissed the back of it and it shouldn't have made her blush, but it did and perhaps he filed that away for future speculation, but she needn't know that.

The fourth time, he'd just come by to get papers from Alexander but when he turned up at their little house in Harlem, Eliza opened the door with an amicable smile.

"Aaron! How wonderful to see you! What can I do for you, today?" She greeted. There was yelling in the back of the house, and three children ran into the entryway, crouching behind their mothers skirts. Little Philip seemed the boldest, peeking his head out and peering up at Aaron.

Eliza chuckled and patted his head which made him pout. She picked up the youngest boy, and balanced him on her hip, while the little girl opposite Philip watched him with wide hazel eyes behind horn rimmed glasses.

"These are my children. Philip, Angelica, and Alexander, Jr." She announced. "Children, this is Aaron Burr, he works with your father."

Philip emerged from behind his mother's skirts. "How can we help you, Mr. Burr?" He asked.

Aaron smiled, "Such a little gentleman you have here." He remarked. "I'm afraid that I'm here on business, a case file."

Eliza nodded, face friendly but serious. "Of course. Come inside for a moment while I fetch it for you. Children, do be polite to our house guest."

She set little Alexander onto the floor and he began running after his older sister who shrieked in terror.

Eliza bustled into the maze of a house and Philip led him into the parlour.

"This is where mother takes guests." Philip announced.

"How old are you now?" Aaron asked, taking a seat on one of the plush armchairs.

Philip sat parallel from him. "Eight, turning nine. Angie's seven and AJ's five."

"All evenly spaced, I see." He commented.

"Mother likes order."

"I have a daughter, almost your age." Philip seemed to brighten at this.

"Really?"

"Her name's Theodosia."

"That's a nice name."

"I shall inform her that you think so."

Eliza arrived shortly after that with the case file and he bid the Hamilton's adieu.

Aaron doesn't know exactly when he became enamoured with her, but it's certainly not going away any time soon.

He settled in for the long haul.

~

Years later his wish is granted.

~

Aaron answers the door after the third knock, not quite sure that he'd even heard the first two.

After all, who would be knocking at his door at a late hour such as this?

He's very surprised indeed to see Eliza Hamilton standing on his doorstep, a cloak obscuring her facial features to the light, a purse clutched in her gloved hands.

It's snowing just enough to justify him ushering her inside.

When the door is closed and her hood has been pulled away, Aaron thinks he understands why she's here.

Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, eyes red rimmed, shiny with unshed tears. Eliza's bottom lip quivers even as she tries to look neutral.

"I assume," she begins and her voice wobbles just so. She clears her throat and wipes her eyes on the wrists of her gloves. "I assume that you have heard the details of my husbands infidelity."

Who hasn't, really, Aaron thinks, but gives her a pained smile nonetheless. "Can I take your cloak? The parlour really is a much nicer place for discussions such as these."

Eliza nods and unclamps the cloak at her throat. Aaron hangs it on a hook in silence.

Eliza seats herself in the parlour and pulls her gloves off. The tips of her fingers are red with angry blisters. Aaron doesn't want to know what exactly caused them.

She inhales through her nose and makes direct eye contact as he sits opposite her.

"I know that you provided a service to my husband, years back." Eliza states bluntly and it's all Aaron can do not to blanch. She either doesn't notice or doesn't care, because she continues, "I am here to request the same service."

Aaron quirks an eyebrow, in an attempt to look calm. "For your husband?"

"For myself." Eliza snaps and shrinks in her chair. She reaches up and thumbs the hem of her short sleeves. A tear trails down her pale cheek and she stares at the rug beneath her feet. "I know two wrongs don't make a right and I know that this is awfully sudden and you have every right to refuse me," she looks up, and there are more tears, but there is also fury. "But I need to know what was so good that could make him like that."

Aaron blinks, confused. "Like what?"

Her nostrils flare. "Unsatisfied."

He's ready to say no, ready to turn her away, talk some sense into her - and then he sees the raw desperation in her eyes, the hurt. The bloody grief that seems to stain her soul.

It only takes him a second to make his decision.

"My daughter-" Aaron begins and sees her flinch.

"Of course." Eliza says, voice flat. She stands and picks up her purse. "I never should have-"

Aaron stands and places a soft hand on her bicep. Eliza turns.

"My daughter is away in the country for the night. Whatever you need, Eliza, I will be happy to help."

Her stone expression crumples and a hesitant look appears.

She takes a step forward, the hem of her dress brushing the stockings he wears, and places a careful hand on his chest.

"Thank you, Aaron," Eliza murmurs, brows furrowed in a pained yet gratuitous expression.

Aaron puts a finger under her chin and tilts her head up.

When he kisses her it's soft, as if he's waiting for her to change her mind.

She doesn't. Her hands grip the lapels of his coat pulling him forwards, demanding.

Aaron pulls away. "Upstairs, I presume?" Eliza nods resolutely.

~

Eliza stands at the end of the bed as Aaron sets a candle down on the bedside table and closes the door.

He helps her out of her stays, out of her undergarments, lays her down carefully.

She wants none off it, pulling off his own clothing with much more vigour and power and - something that Aaron can't quite describe.

She doesn't let him treat her like she's fragile.

She places his hands on her hips, holds them there until he grips her hard enough to anchor her there, to remind him that she's really here, to keep him in reality.

~

Eliza commands respect and affection and everything that Aaron can give her.

She doesn't leave when they're done and Aaron knows that she's too scared to go home and face Alexander after everything that's happened.

After all the bravery and hardness of her attitude, she's still awfully broken after what Alexander did.

Aaron understands that and let's her stay. Fixes up her fingers so that she doesn't wince when she touches something.

She leaves the next day at noon.

And she keeps coming back.

Aaron wonders if this is any better than what Alexander did. But then, Eliza isn't paying through the nose to have it kept quiet.

~

Three days after Philip dies Eliza comes to call. She's in no state to be with Alexander - she blames him - and nothing Aaron says helps.

So he just holds her instead.

In the end, she passes out on the sofa and Aaron deposits her in a guest bedroom.

Let Alexander say what he wants about Aaron.

Eliza didn't go running to him.

  
Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I really hope you enjoyed this. If you did, please feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos, and track me down on Tumblr @nose-coffee. Again, thank you.


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